As a potential storm approaches, Pittsburgh's snow plow tracker still down for upgrades

While it won’t be ready by this wintry weekend, a new version of Pittsburgh’s Public Plow Tracker site is expected to be up and running by the end of the month.

A substantial amount of snow is expected to hit the Steel City this weekend, meaning the city’s plows will be out and about — though it’ll be a little harder than usual to keep track of their comings and goings.

Pittsburgh's Public Plow Tracker, an online service introduced in 2015, is still down while upgrades are being installed. The site gives residents live updates on the locations and travel history of Public Works plows during snowy conditions.

The Public Plow Tracker is usually activated during any event that produces more than a half-inch of snow and stays online until the snow has cleared. During snowstorms, the city is responsible for clearing more than 1,200 miles of streets, prioritizing primary routes such as those for schools and hospitals.

The city had initially announced that the tracker would be suspended in order to implement upgrades back in Nov. 2018. According to city spokesperson Tim McNulty, the service should be operational again by the end of this month.

Besides new features informing residents when a Public Works vehicle’s plow and salt spreader are in use, the updated service will allow plow drivers to more efficiently track their salt use and follow their routes by GPS, McNulty said.

McNulty also said snow plow crews will be working 12-hour shifts over the weekend, starting around noon Saturday — around the same time the snowstorm is supposed to hit the area.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning today for parts of southwestern Pennsylvania between Saturday and Sunday morning. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 9 inches and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch are being predicted.